The Florence Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is charged with the responsibility of investigating all homicides, sexual assaults, arson, property crimes and any other crimes requiring follow-up investigation and cases of long duration or complexity or that cross into multiple jurisdictions.

The Criminal Investigation Division is commanded by a Major who reports directly to the Chief of Police. In addition, the Criminal Investigation Division is divided into four specialized units with each being supervised by a Lieutenant assisted by one or more Sergeants. This structure allows for better utilization of resources and personnel. These units are the General Investigations Unit, the Special Investigations Unit (Narcotics/Gang), Crime Scene Unit and the School Resource Officer Unit.

In each of these units the personnel receive specialized training relating to the specific unit they are assigned. However, this does not restrict them from investigating cases outside of what their perspective units would normally investigate. Each investigator has the ability to investigate a wide range of cases.

It is the desire of the Criminal Investigation Division to provide the best service possible to our community.

General Investigations Unit

General investigations consist of several investigative components all of which are equally important in obtaining the objectives of this unit.

Property Crimes typically refers to the theft of the property of another. This involves burglaries of residences and businesses, thefts from and of vehicles, robberies of any sort, shoplifting and any other theft within the City of Florence. Also included in property crimes are the monitoring of pawn shops and those locations licensed to purchase precious metals

White Collar Crimes are those type crimes that are considered non violent. There are a wide range of SCAMS that fall into this category including, secret shopper scams, lottery scams and sweepstakes scams. Also included in White Collar crimes are credit card fraud, identity theft, counterfeit checks / money, money orders, traveler’s checks and bonds as well as internal theft from businesses. Many times these are lengthy investigations due to extensive paper trails.

Missing Persons refer to anyone who is reported missing to the Florence Police Department. A missing persons’ investigation can be initiated immediately, and there are no time restrictions. The Florence Police Department works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and local media.

Juvenile Crimes refer to offenses committed against children. Typically these cases include physical abuse, sexual assault and neglect. Members of this unit receive specialized training to enhance expertise when conducting investigations. The unit participates in the Multidisciplinary Team concept which includes, the Department of Social Services, Guardian Ad Litem, prosecutor, mental health, medical component, and other law enforcement agencies. This concept is designed to complete thorough investigations with minimal trauma to the victim. Members of this unit also serve on the Attorney General’s office Task Force for Internet Crimes against Children which includes extensive training in the latest digital technology.

The Polygraph is a tool used to assist in criminal investigations as well as pre-employment purposes. Other law enforcement agencies within the Pee Dee region also utilize the services of the Florence Police Department polygraph examiner.

Victim Witness Advocates are responsible for making contact with all victims as defined by South Carolina state law within 72 hours of victimization. Victim Witness Advocates serve as a liaison to crime victims and provide a wide range of services and resources based on the needs of the victims.

An additional responsibility of the Criminal Investigations Division is the supervision of the Alcohol Enforcement Team designated to combat the use of alcohol by underage persons. There are a variety of techniques used to fulfill this responsibility such as compliance checks, party patrols, shoulder taps, and social media monitoring.

In addition, we also do compliance checks of businesses to deter the sale / purchasing of tobacco products by underage persons.

Special Investigations

The Special Investigations Unit of the Florence Police Department is primarily responsible for the investigation of narcotic and gang related activity. Agents utilize undercover operations, informants, and surveillance to make cases against local street level drug dealers as well asmajor traffickers of illegal drugs. Agents are also assigned to specifically investigate gang related crimes. These investigations include gangs that distribute drugs for revenue as well as gangs that commit violent crimes. Agents often work with other local agencies, as well as state and federal agencies during these drug and gang investigations. Agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, Customs, and the Postal Inspectors Office are examples of some of the federal agencies SIU workswith. The SIU has an officer permanently assigned to the DEA Task Force. SIU also investigates all vice related crimes such as gambling and prostitution. Agents often utilize various covert methods during these investigations. SIU works closely with federal authorities on gun related crimes as well. Agents work specifically with ATF to prosecute all gun crimes to the fullest extent of the law. The SIU acts as an extension of Criminal Investigations in that it assists with any type of investigations which require covert surveillance or undercover operations.

Crime Scene/Technical Services

The Crime Scene Unit functions in a multi-faceted capacity to support the Patrol and Investigations Division in their assigned tasks. This unit has been charged with the responsibility of processing crime scenes (vehicle break-ins, suspicious packages, burglaries and death investigations), as well as the collection and preservation of evidence. This responsibility also includes the collection, archiving and production of evidence from in-car cameras, digital cameras and digital voice recorders issued throughout the department. Analysis of certain drugs is done by crime scene personnel for court purposes. The technicians in this unit provide assistance to all areas of the department with video and photographic needs, to include photo line-ups and wanted / missing person fliers. The unit also provides training to the department in all these areas to improve services the department provides. The unit has a variety of technical equipment, ranging from specialized surveillance cameras to forensic light sources, all to aid in bringing the truth to light. The unit operates the Mobile Command Vehicle to support numerous units throughout the department. The unit also supports the department through the testing and evaluation of new technology.

School Resource Officer

The officers we have assigned to this unit are all certified school resource officers who have been specifically selected to serve in this capacity. These officers are liaisons between the students, parents, and teachers in their perspective schools. They provide classroom training on a variety of tropics and organize special groups such as SAVE and others. These officers attend sporting events and other after school activities such as dances, parent/teacher meetings, or any other special event. The school resource officers attempt to identify specific problems with the students and take the proper action to eliminate the problems. These officers work closely with our juvenile investigators to provide assistance in whatever area it is needed.